Moving cameras around without introducing
distracting instability is something that’s
been a bugbear for some time. The thought
of automating at least part of the process –
the part which keeps the horizon level and
the camera pointing in a desirable direction,
regardless of the perturbations introduced
by the person carrying it – is attractive.
Actually achieving that has only been
technologically feasible for a few years.
Keeping a camera level requires electronics
that know what ‘level’ actually means,
which historically has required a gyroscope
in the traditional sense of a weighty,
spinning piece of metal which will tend to
remain spinning in the same plane. This
sort of thing has been used on aircraft, both
civil and military, for decades, but it’s a
large, heavy and power-hungry device and
the practicality of gyroscopically-stabilised
camera platforms has been limited to full
size helicopters and a small minority of
Steadicam configurations.
More modern gyroscopes work differently.
How it works
The approach is based on work done
by the French scientist Léon Foucault,
who showed the rotation of the earth by
setting up a very large, heavy pendulum.
As the earth rotates, the pendulum tends
to remain swinging in the same plane,
appearing to change its direction of swing
relative to the surroundings. This gives
rise to the vibrating-structure gyroscope
which uses microscopically vibrating
piezoelectric elements to the same end.
These can be greatly miniaturised as
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
to the point where they can be included
on a circuit board alongside resistors,
capacitors and other components. This
is the technology at the core of gimbal
stabilisers such as Movi – and the multi-
rotor helicopters which are increasingly
being used for aerial photography.
One particular beneficiary of these new
devices is Upper Cut Productions, who
have been providing aerial photography
services since 2004, and combining
both the MoVI M10 gimbal stabiliser and
multirotor unmanned helicopters since
the end of 2013. Talking to Upper Cut’s
Chris Wilkinson, we discover that the
technology has become sufficiently good
to attract clients up to and including a
major production described as “an ITV
period drama” [have a guess]. Larger,
more powerful multirotors are now capable
of lifting a Red Epic, at least in a suitably
minimal configuration, and although
endurance is limited to a few minutes,
carrying a trunkload of batteries is easy
enough. With lighter cameras – perhaps
a video-capable stills camera such as
Panasonic’s GH4 - endurance is greatly
increased and the 200 megabit recordings
are perfectly respectable.
The particular joy in combining these
two gyro-enabled technologies is related
specifically to the behaviour of helicopters,
which must intrinsically nose down in the
desired direction of travel when moving
around, potentially disturbing the shot
of a traditionally-mounted camera. Full
sized aircraft have had various mounting
options for some time, but the mating of a
MoVI gimbal to an unmanned multirotor is
a match made in heaven, providing for a
stable camera platform – plus of course the
usual pan and tilt functionality - in a variety
of conditions.
MoVIs on the move
Camerawork aside, Upper Cut are at pains
to stress their keen interest in safety. Until
fairly recently, the legal situation regarding
paid work with unmanned aerial vehicles
– drones – was murky. While the current
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules in the
UK, and equivalent aviation law worldwide,
can be expensive to follow, the potential
downsides of incautious operation are
clear. Current CAA rules permit unmanned
camera aircraft to fly at up to 400 feet, or
FromsteadicamtoMovi
- howcameraequipment
moves forward in2014
Used in multiple productions for broadcasters such as ITV and the BBC, and Hollywood blockbusters such as
The Wolf of Wall Street, the MoVI is quickly becoming the stabiliser of choice for camera operators the world over.
Phil Rhodes looks at the technology behind the tools that change the way we film.
by Phil Rhodes
higher with special permission. This aides
the possibility of a conflict with low-flying
manned aircraft such as emergency
or military aircraft, any of which could
be damaged to the point of becoming
unflyable (that is, crashing) by a collision
with a multirotor carrying a sturdy digital
cinematography camera. Operators such
as Upper Cut submit NOTAMs – Notices to
Airmen, which are distributed to aviation
facilities nationwide and consulted by pilots
– describing their proposed activities,
ideally minimising these risks.
Perhaps a more common problem might
be a simple malfunction, and the rules
currently prohibit flying near large groups
of people and in other potentially risky
areas, again, with exceptions allowable
given specific permission. The damage
potentially caused to an unprotected
human by a plummeting drone, with
or without its rotors spinning, hardly
bears thinking about, and as such, most
operators are extremely careful to stay
within both the letter of the law and the
spirit of the rules. It is in some ways
a shame to see potentially prohibitive
restrictions in place, especially as people
flying for fun aren’t required to have nearly
so much paperwork, but most people
involved in this work are keenly aware
that it would take only a few high profile
incidents to bring even heavier regulation
crashing down on this nascent industry.
Operating a MoVI gimbal handheld is
another interesting option. Constantly
compared to Steadicam, the look is in
many ways quite different, especially
given the option to move from high
overhead to floor-scraping positions in a
single shot, something most Steadicams
can’t do. The resulting pictures combine
desirable aspects of both handheld and
mechanically-stabilised photography and
it’s reasonable to expect this sort of thing
to become more common, especially as
larger, more powerful gimbals make this
technology available to productions using
physically larger cameras. We expect the
list of credits to be a lot longer in 2015.
Operating a MoVI Gimbal handheld is another intersting
option. Constantly compared to the steadicam,
the look is in many ways quite different
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Images courtersy of CVP Group
The MoVI M10 - image courtersy of CVP Group
Cameras and Camera equipment
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The Knowledge - Support
